It has been a while since I have had a chance to post; mostly because I was busy prepping, agonizing over and hosting my first family Thanksgiving. I know you are likely wondering two things: first how it is that after being married for six years I have never hosted a large family function and second how it is that after being married for six years I was suckered into hosting a large family function. Well, where do I begin?
We live in a relatively small townhouse and so for a long time now that has been my excuse for many things. Christmas? We couldn't possibly. Thanksgiving? Oh no, not enough room here? Birthdays? I guess, but only if we have just dessert. And so I managed to wiggle my way out of hosting anything larger than a small family birthday party or a casual "lap" meal. That is until now.
This year happened to be my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary, and so there seemed to be a need to celebrate the occasion. As the scheming began a bit of a family brouhaha ensued, and I somehow found myself trapped in a family emailing drama that seemed to have no pleasant end in sight. Finally (after six years of marriage), JD stepped up and took control of the party planning. I think I mentioned in a previous post that usually I am the one responsible for all the planning and scheduling, but having had enough of his family's crazy antics JD put his best effort forward and planned what was to be a lovely evening out. Despite his efforts and through not fault of his, JD's plans fell apart. Before I knew it he was talking about hosting the Thanksgiving-Anniversary party at our house. What? Our house? Yes, at our house. Really? Yes, really.
And, ta-da! Everyone was invited, food was purchased and plans fell in to place before I even had time to say, "No, no way, are you crazy, forget it, I'm not cooking for 10, STOP NOW!" So, I quickly got on board with the plan and of course found myself in the "Party-Planning Drivers Sit". In my crazy, type A, uptight, worry-wart way I schedule a cleaning or prep event for every day of the week leading into the party. (By the way, sticky notes are truly the most addictive drug of choice to an over anxious, type A personality. Buyer beware.) I made coleslaw, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, and more; while JD scrubbed toilets, moved furniture, washed floors and vacuumed. I kept wondering if we were really doing this and how many members of JD's family would call Sunday to share their tales of post-dinner illness.
To my great relief Saturday went off without a hitch. No one was made ill, there were no arguments, no one was inappropriately intoxicated, there was lots of conversation and very little leftovers! The turkey was delicious, if I do say so myself! I even received a lovely thank you note from a family member. Score one for me! Or at least until I thought about it for a minute. Wait, does this mean my excuse is now invalid? Am I going to have to do this again? Oh, crap! In hindsight I should have burnt at least one dish, cursed a little more in the kitchen and broken a serving dish as aggressively as possible without looking deliberate. But with the party come and gone there is nothing I can do to correct my errors; and so with reserved pleasure I'm enjoying the aftermath of success. All I can do now is hope that come Christmas I'm not hosting a party of 10 again, and if I am I will be sure to make many overt references to my sister-in-law's lovely hostessing abilities.
Okay, so I'm kidding. It was a great day. I enjoyed hosting my in-laws and even though my house is very small I would do it again any time. Just don't tell them because I need at least a few months to rest up before doing it all again, and Christmas is only about 10 weeks away.
No comments:
Post a Comment